EASTON, Pa. – In a matchup of two sides tied for fifth in the Patriot League standings, it was Bucknell that earned an important three points with a 3-0 victory over Lafayette on Wednesday night at Oaks Stadium.

Bucknell (10 points) improves to 3-3-1 in the conference and 9-5-1 overall, while the Leopards fall to 2-4-1 in the Patriot League and 4-4-7 on the year. The first chance of the night went to the Leopards when right back Erik Cannon fed a ball down the flank for Greg Biggiani. The Lafayette forward then won a 1v1 battle with his defender before sending a pass back to Alex Golini at the corner of the Bucknell penalty area. Golini pushed a square ball left for Peter Adubato and he ripped a shot from 20 yards out that was saved by Mike Lansing going to his right.

Following three unsuccessful corner opportunities, two by the Bison, a defensive miscue nearly led to a two-on-one for the Leopards. Jeff McLaughlin intercepted a pass and then played to Biggiani before getting a pass back that put him in behind the Bucknell back four. McLaughlin’s first touch was a bit heavy and Lansing was able to come out to secure the ball and prevent an early Lafayette goal.

In the 25th minute a run down the middle by Jesse Klug in a two-on-two situation almost put Bucknell on top. Klug freed up some space by going to his right foot and fired a low shot that was headed for the far post before Nathan McDonald dove right to tip it wide and out for a Bison corner kick.

After successfully defending the Bucknell corner, Lafayette found itself down 1-0 a couple minutes later. Klug ripped a ball off his right foot from across the face of goal where Josh Butzke met it on the other side and hammered it home for the eventual game-winner.

Following the goal, McDonald made another save on Plug, which was a mirror image of his first save on the Bucknell midfielder to keep the Leopards within one.

With eight minutes to play in the half, a throw-in deep inside Bucknell territory was flicked on by Eric West and then headed out by the Bison defense. The ball went out to Ryan Dodds, who unleashed a laser of a shot on a bouncing ball straightway and 22 yards away, but Lansing somehow got a hand on it and it was cleared away from danger by Mayowa Alli. The two sides went into the locker room with Bucknell holding a 1-0 edge. Less than five minutes into the second half, Bucknell doubled its advantage when Klug found the back of the net. The play was made by Mark Leibensperger knifing his way through two Leopard defenders on the left side before getting to the end line. When McDonald came out to challenge, Leibensperger left a pass for Klug, who made no mistake with a one-timer into the back of the Leopards’ net.

After that, a run through the middle by Adubato gave Lafayette a free kick from 25 yards out, but Nate Arronson missed the target with his left-footed attempt.

Bucknell put the game out of reach in the 55th minute when Jonathan Grad potted another insurance goal for the Bison. A long ball into the middle from the right sideline by Joe Meyer deflected off Klug to Grad and he slotted it past McDonald to put the visitors ahead 3-0.

Lansing finished the night with four saves in the shutout win while McDonald stopped five for the Maroon and White.

Lafayette’s final regular season home game is Saturday, when the team hosts Army on Senior Day. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. and the game can be seen live on the Patriot League Network.

Lafayette Athletics, as a partner in the mission of the College, provides an incredibly effective learning experience for student-athletes through competitive NCAA Division I athletics. Lafayette sponsors 23 varsity sports with more than 600 student-athletes.